David O Russell’s con film and Sandra Bullock starrer outer space drama led the Oscar nominations, announced today

American Hustle and Gravity bagged ten nods each, including in the best picture, acting and direction categories. These two films are closely followed by Steve McQueen directed slavery drama 12 Years A Slave which had nine nominations, Captain Phillips, Dallas Buyers Club and Nebraska with six nods each and The Wolf of Wall Street with five nominations.

The best picture nominated category at the 86th Academy Awards has nine nominees. Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity, about a space mission gone wrong, will fight it out with Martin Scorsese’s financial thriller The Wolf of Wall Street, American Hustle, Captain Phillips, Dallas Buyers Club, Her, Philomena, Nebraska and 12 Years A Slave.

The best actor category will see ‘Hustle’ star Christian Bale and Leonardo DiCaprio of The Wolf of Wall Street fighting it out. DiCaprio is a producer on the best picture nominee.

The category also has veteran actor Bruce Dern, who has been nominated for his role in Nebraska, Matthew McConaughey for playing an AIDS patient in Dallas Buyers Club and Chiwetel Ejiofor for his performance in 12 Years A Slave.

Bullock, widely praised for her performance of an astronaut in the space disaster story, is facing tough competition from Amy Adams for her con-woman act in ‘Hustle’ in the best actress category. The other contenders in this list includes Cate Blanchett for Blue Jasmine, Judi Dench for her role in Philomena and Oscar veteran Meryl Streep for August: Osage County. Streep scored her record 18th Oscar nomination with this.

Veteran director Martin Scorsese has been nominated in the best director category alongside David O Russell, Alfonso Cuaron, Alexander Payne and Steve McQueen.

The supporting category is dominated by ‘Hustle’ with its stars Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence being nominated in the best supporting actor and actress category for their roles of a manipulative FBI officer and a bitter housewife, respectively.